Robert Kraft says Ed Sheeran asked him to match $2 million Gaza donation after Macklemore challenge
BBC and ABC News report that musician Ed Sheeran relayed a request from billionaire Robert Kraft to donate $2 million for Gaza aid, following rapper Macklemore’s public pledge of $1 million and challenge to match the amount.
First reported 2 hours ago · latest update 1 hour ago
Kraft, who is Jewish, confirmed on Monday that he had made the decision to bar Macklemore from the Gillette Stadium because his venue would not "provide a platform for hate speech".
The tycoon accused the Grammy-winning rapper of having "a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric", which Macklemore denies.
He also said the pro-Palestinian artist was "only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas".
All the other support acts from Sheeran's US tour have since quit in solidarity with Macklemore.
They are Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham, as well as Irish folk band Beoga, who perform with Sheeran on stage every night.
The artists argued that Macklemore's removal represented a chilling effect on free speech.
Macklemore said on Wednesday he would donate the entire $1m of his net earnings from Sheeran's Loop Tour to six Palestinian organisations "to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people".
"This is a manmade injustice, and I believe it requires immediate political change," he wrote on social media.
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Ed Sheeran asked me to donate $2m in aid, Robert Kraft says after Macklemore backlash
It comes after Macklemore pledged $1m to Palestinian causes, challenging the tycoon to match the sum.
2 hours agoEd Sheeran, Robert Kraft donate millions for Gaza aid after Macklemore's urging
Macklemore had challenged Robert Kraft to match his donation to Palestinian charities after the billionaire stadium owner dropped him from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour.
1 hour ago · Georgie Hewson